Have a booked trip on the California Zephyr soon. Leaving from CLE to CHI on the first leg. We will be staying in CHI overnight and plan to see the sites there. Any tips while on the CZ part of the trip would be helpful, such as what sightseeing views to look out for since we have never been on this route. We plan on going to the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. But after that it will be up in the air. Also any tips on what to see and visit in San Fran.
CZ CHI to EMY
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caravanman
Engineer
I love visiting San Francisco. There was an amusement arcade full of old "penny in the slot" machines at Fishermans Wharf that I enjoyed, but I seem to recall a fire in the area a while back, not sure if it was damaged? Be sure to ride the cable cars of course, as well as the many imported historic trams. As a former hippy, I liked Height Ashbury too. 
Golden Gate and Alcatraz are must-sees.
*Many people rent a bike to cross the bridge, riding through the park and past the old Army flying field, and then return from Sausalito by ferry. My fiancee and I did that a few years back, and it was a hard ride at times but well worth it.
I don't know how busy it is now, but when we did it there were so many people walking across the bridge that we ended up walking our bikes on the bridge itself.
Tons of places rent bikes for this excursion and include a return ferry ticket in the price.
*If you want to see Alcatraz and not just sail past it, make sure you take Alcatraz Cruises by Hornblower, the only excursion line with the National Park Service concession to land on the island. Other excursion lines advertise Alcatraz but only sail past the island.
I'd add:
*eating at least one meal at the Ferry Terminal at the head (or foot, if you're so inclined) of Market Street, where there's some very nice restaurants.
*Chinatown, including at least one meal if you like Chinese food.
*City Hall, which is very impressive. Weddings are performed weekday mornings (San Francisco is a county and a city), and couples get married or at least stand for photographs on the grand staircase.
*Cable Car Museum, which is also the actual engine house for the cable motors.
*The cable cars themselves, of course. They're not just a tourist attraction but handy to get around parts of town (map) but the fare is $8! The work-around for this is to buy a Muni daypass, three-day pass, or if you're there long enough seven-day pass. Good for the light rail and buses as well as cable cars, but a lifesaver if you end up using the cable cars to actually get around.
*Lombard Street.
*Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, it's cheesy and touristy, but the sea lions at Pier 39, the chocolate at Ghirardelli's, the sourdough bread at Boudin's, and the seafood restaurants are real.
*Buena Vista restaurant, near Fisherman's Wharf and at the end of the Hyde St. cable car, is authentic and rightly famous.
*Many people rent a bike to cross the bridge, riding through the park and past the old Army flying field, and then return from Sausalito by ferry. My fiancee and I did that a few years back, and it was a hard ride at times but well worth it.
I don't know how busy it is now, but when we did it there were so many people walking across the bridge that we ended up walking our bikes on the bridge itself.
Tons of places rent bikes for this excursion and include a return ferry ticket in the price.
*If you want to see Alcatraz and not just sail past it, make sure you take Alcatraz Cruises by Hornblower, the only excursion line with the National Park Service concession to land on the island. Other excursion lines advertise Alcatraz but only sail past the island.
I'd add:
*eating at least one meal at the Ferry Terminal at the head (or foot, if you're so inclined) of Market Street, where there's some very nice restaurants.
*Chinatown, including at least one meal if you like Chinese food.
*City Hall, which is very impressive. Weddings are performed weekday mornings (San Francisco is a county and a city), and couples get married or at least stand for photographs on the grand staircase.
*Cable Car Museum, which is also the actual engine house for the cable motors.
*The cable cars themselves, of course. They're not just a tourist attraction but handy to get around parts of town (map) but the fare is $8! The work-around for this is to buy a Muni daypass, three-day pass, or if you're there long enough seven-day pass. Good for the light rail and buses as well as cable cars, but a lifesaver if you end up using the cable cars to actually get around.
*Lombard Street.
*Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, it's cheesy and touristy, but the sea lions at Pier 39, the chocolate at Ghirardelli's, the sourdough bread at Boudin's, and the seafood restaurants are real.
*Buena Vista restaurant, near Fisherman's Wharf and at the end of the Hyde St. cable car, is authentic and rightly famous.
Thanks for the info about the Alcatraz tour. I saw many different tours. I thought they all stopped on the island. We do want to visit the actual island. And we did plan on riding bikes across Golden Gate Bridge but I didn't know we could get a ferry coming back.Golden Gate and Alcatraz are must-sees.
*Many people rent a bike to cross the bridge, riding through the park and past the old Army flying field, and then return from Sausalito by ferry. My fiancee and I did that a few years back, and it was a hard ride at times but well worth it.
I don't know how busy it is now, but when we did it there were so many people walking across the bridge that we ended up walking our bikes on the bridge itself.
Tons of places rent bikes for this excursion and include a return ferry ticket in the price.
*If you want to see Alcatraz and not just sail past it, make sure you take Alcatraz Cruises by Hornblower, the only excursion line with the National Park Service concession to land on the island. Other excursion lines advertise Alcatraz but only sail past the island.
I'd add:
*eating at least one meal at the Ferry Terminal at the head (or foot, if you're so inclined) of Market Street, where there's some very nice restaurants.
*Chinatown, including at least one meal if you like Chinese food.
*City Hall, which is very impressive. Weddings are performed weekday mornings (San Francisco is a county and a city), and couples get married or at least stand for photographs on the grand staircase.
*Cable Car Museum, which is also the actual engine house for the cable motors.
*The cable cars themselves, of course. They're not just a tourist attraction but handy to get around parts of town (map) but the fare is $8! The work-around for this is to buy a Muni daypass, three-day pass, or if you're there long enough seven-day pass. Good for the light rail and buses as well as cable cars, but a lifesaver if you end up using the cable cars to actually get around.
*Lombard Street.
*Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, it's cheesy and touristy, but the sea lions at Pier 39, the chocolate at Ghirardelli's, the sourdough bread at Boudin's, and the seafood restaurants are real.
*Buena Vista restaurant, near Fisherman's Wharf and at the end of the Hyde St. cable car, is authentic and rightly famous.
Thank you for the info about the cable cars. I forgot completely about that, yes, we do want to try those.I love visiting San Francisco. There was an amusement arcade full of old "penny in the slot" machines at Fishermans Wharf that I enjoyed, but I seem to recall a fire in the area a while back, not sure if it was damaged? Be sure to ride the cable cars of course, as well as the many imported historic trams. As a former hippy, I liked Height Ashbury too.
Get a Muni Pass. They provide access to all Muni routes, including Cable Cars. SF's Muni is extensive and provides good service all over the city. Cable cars are otherwise more expensive than the standard Muni fare.
The California St. Cable cars tend to much less crowded than the Powell St ones to Fisherman's Wharf.
If you want to ride the Powell St cable cars, the crowds thin out a lot at night.
The California St. Cable cars tend to much less crowded than the Powell St ones to Fisherman's Wharf.
If you want to ride the Powell St cable cars, the crowds thin out a lot at night.
20th Century Rider
Engineer
Was absolutely mesmerized by the somewhat fictional film 'Birdman of Alcatraz' starring Burt Lancaster years ago... the prison was known as inescapable because the sea around it had sharks or whatever. This is definitely a must see place... hope you'll let us know how the tour is if you take it. Sounds like a great trip... looking forward to updates!
There are 2 cable car lines that load at Powell & Market: the Mason St. line & the Hyde St. line. You want to wait for a Hyde car; that's where the famous views and steepest hills are. Be sure to get an outside seat on the front half of the car. Even better, if you're brave enough, ride on the running board and hang on to a pole. Very best seats, of course, are the very front, up against the windshield, or the same spot on the running board.
If you think you smell wood burning when going downhill, that's the brakes! The cars have 3 braking systems. The first is traditional wheel brakes. The 2nd is track brakes, which are pine blocks that press against the rails. Those are the ones you smell, and they have to be replaced every few days. The third is an emergency brake, which is a metal wedge that drops into the cable slot and welds itself to the slot guide rails. Once it's deployed, mechanics have to be dispatched to free the car up.
If you think you smell wood burning when going downhill, that's the brakes! The cars have 3 braking systems. The first is traditional wheel brakes. The 2nd is track brakes, which are pine blocks that press against the rails. Those are the ones you smell, and they have to be replaced every few days. The third is an emergency brake, which is a metal wedge that drops into the cable slot and welds itself to the slot guide rails. Once it's deployed, mechanics have to be dispatched to free the car up.
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If you are into Italian food and culture, spend some time in the North Beach neighborhood. Lots of good restaurants and people watching. Also the City Lights bookstore there is worth a visit.
Some of the ways to find out what there is to see from the window of the trains:
• Amtrak Route Guides: Route Guides (pdf).zip
• Follow along the routes using the variety of map types available here: https://fragis.fra.dot.gov/GISFRASafety/
• YouTube (if you can stand to sift through the tripe)
• Amtrak Route Guides: Route Guides (pdf).zip
• Follow along the routes using the variety of map types available here: https://fragis.fra.dot.gov/GISFRASafety/
• YouTube (if you can stand to sift through the tripe)
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BCL
Engineer
Since reopened. It's the Musee Mechanique. Used to be located near the Cliff House on National Park Service land, but now on Pier 45. I don't believe anything is a penny now. A lot of what they had was at least a quarter, if not more. And they have a lot of 60s/70s era pinball machines.
https://museemecanique.com
BCL
Engineer
The ride directly to Alcatraz isn't really a tour per se. It's really just a ferry ride without any interpretation. When you arrive, you can go to pick up a self guided audio tour, which is included in the price of the ride. You can return on any return ferry.
As for riding across the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sausalito ferry operated by Golden Gate Ferry takes a lot of tourists back to San Francisco. They have a ton of bike racks, and the vast majority the last time I rode were clearly rental bikes. They also have a weird price structure where getting a paper ticket costs a lot more than using the Clipper fare card. That way they make it cheaper for regular commuters than they do for tourists. The Sausalito-San Francisco ferry ride is $14 regular ticket, but debited as $7.50 from a Clipper fare card. If you need to buy a card, it's no longer free for the card, but it's only $3 before adding any value. There are a bunch of places you can buy them.
https://www.goldengate.org/ferry/ferry-fares-payment/
If you somehow miss the last ride back to San Francisco, there will usually be taxis waiting to take you back. We went on a company group bike tour but some of the stragglers took too long to get to the ferry and we took off without them. But they actually managed to be back at the bike rental place before us because the taxis were faster. All the taxis there will have bike racks that can take maybe 3-4 bikes.
BCL
Engineer
That's the Buena Vista Cafe, and their specialty is Irish coffee, which they claim they popularized in the United States.
You can purchase a card online at Home | Clipper (clippercard.com) , if you have enough time to wait for it in the mail, or you can set it up to pay with your phone. If you're a senior, you can order a free card with discounted fares by mail from the same website.
Be sure to get a "Visitor Passport". The regular Day Pass does not include cable cars. The Visitor Passports are significantly cheaper if you purchase them on the Muni app on your phone. For example, 1-Day is $13 on the app, but $24 on paper or on the Clipper Card. Fares | SFMTA
A current visitor to the Ferry Building found some of the restaurants/food kiosks closed. It's still worth a visit.
I used to commute on the cables and found that the morning hours before 10 a.m. were pretty laid back. And there's nothing like the smell of wooden brake shows burning on a rainy morning.
I used to commute on the cables and found that the morning hours before 10 a.m. were pretty laid back. And there's nothing like the smell of wooden brake shows burning on a rainy morning.
Me too -- Powell, transfer to California. Riding in the dimly lit cabin on a foggy morning, I felt like I had gone back in time to the turn of the 20th century.
The Muni gripmen earned their high pay, especially on rainy days. One feature that tourists miss out on is helping to push their California car over the Powell line when a motorist has suddenly taken the right-of-way and forced the California car to stop on the top of Nob Hill. (The California cable being the junior has to pass under the Powell cable and for a few seconds you're coasting.) For only being three lines, the cables are full of quirks and details.Me too -- Powell, transfer to California. Riding in the dimly lit cabin on a foggy morning, I felt like I had gone back in time to the turn of the 20th century.
Visitors are welcome to remain comfortably on the car but a young regular commuter will get a meaningful look from the conductor and be invited to join him in pushing the California car far enough to pick up the cable.
I don't remember ever doing that, but I do have fond memories of joining the conductor to push the car around on the Powell turntable. [sigh] That was after I had moved out of the Tenderloin, and came back to ride on weekends. In my commuting days, I'd hop on at O'Farrell.
BCL
Engineer
It's easy enough to get one when arriving, then maybe registering it. Most Walgreens stores in the Bay Area have them, and there are quite a few places near tourist areas that do to. I'm glad that I registered mine since I lost it. I had something like $40 credit on mine (not sure where it went) but it only cost me $5 in Clipper credit to get a replacement.
I got my kid one in person years ago. I had to give the DOB in order to automatically qualify for child/youth fares. But I got it near where I worked at the time at the Santa Clara VTA headquarters in San Jose. I think it was free. I got my original Clipper card when the card was free. They started instituting the $3 fee when some people started going negative balance on them and then throwing them away.
I haven't taken this train yet, but a cursory examination of the route on a map would reveal that the train makes a reverse move at Denver: it turns around at a nearby wye and backs into the station (the tracks dead end at the station) before pulling out of the station again after a crew change. Thus, don't be surprised if the train starts moving backward as it approaches Denver.
neroden
Engineer
Definitely get a Muni pass. In addition to the cable cars, San Francisco runs a "rolling museum" of historic streetcars on the F - Market and Wharves Line; I spent much of a day hopping on and off of them.
And of course that also lets you on the modern Muni Metro subway/streetcar lines, which run a combination of brand-new Siemens cars and 1990s-era Bredas. And on the trolleybuses. For anyone interested in the history of transit, it's a fascinating place. (And, of course, you can also ride the regular buses to get to places.)
And of course that also lets you on the modern Muni Metro subway/streetcar lines, which run a combination of brand-new Siemens cars and 1990s-era Bredas. And on the trolleybuses. For anyone interested in the history of transit, it's a fascinating place. (And, of course, you can also ride the regular buses to get to places.)
Skimmy
Train Attendant
Be aware: (my experience in July) th emy stop thruway bus drops you off at a signpost on mission in front of the chase bank sign in SF. (Published sales force plaza). We hired a van to get our party of 7 + bags to the pier 39 hotel from EMY. I caught the CS 2 days later taking the last bus for 9:10 pm to EMY. startled to find signpost location at night; had to be directed by 2 security guards to the location. It’s NOT at the well lit up sales force plaza
Skimmy
Train Attendant
Enjoyed the top of the double deck ‘big bus’ trip . Hop on hop off. Can be as long as you want. Plan on a fleece vest and a wind breaker going across the bay/bridge. Temperature drops 30 degrees and super windy. Bus stops on the other side for pictures and bathroom. Have to wait for next bus (30 minutes?)
